Writing effective design prompts

The assistant works best with the same details you would give a person who is going to cut the piece for you.

Include these

1. What it is — a sign, tag, coaster, box, organizer, decal, template.
2. Shape — rectangle, rounded, circle, hexagon, heart, star, arrow, mountain, cloud. Simple silhouettes are drawn as an outline you can then edit.
3. Size with units — "300 mm wide", "8 cm", "4 inches". Give the overall width; height follows the shape unless you say otherwise.
4. Material and thickness — "3 mm plywood", "acrylic", "cardstock", "adhesive vinyl".
5. Text in quotes — engraved "Cabin" or cut-out "MIA".
6. Holes and details — "two hanging holes 5 mm", "four corner holes".
7. How you will make it — laser, Cricut, vinyl cutter, home printer.

Examples

• Mountain-shaped wall sign, 300 mm wide, 3 mm plywood, engraved "Cabin", two hanging holes
• Round coaster 95 mm with engraved "Home" in the middle
• Heart-shaped vinyl decal 80 mm wide
• Gift box 200 × 150 × 100 mm in 3 mm plywood with a lid, engraved "Sarah"
• Wooden organizer with 4 compartments, 250 mm wide

Avoid

• Vague sizes ("big", "small") — the assistant has to guess and will tell you it did.
• Machine settings ("40% power") — they are not part of the design.
• 3D shapes, curved surfaces or moving parts — see unsupported requests.